Author Archive
Review Flashback! 2006 Chevrolet SSR
2006 Chevrolet SSR
The 2003-2006 Chevrolet SSR was a retro-styled convertible pickup truck, though the vehicles with which it shared its basic architecture were none of the above. It would not surprise me if the SSR was the product of a truth-or-dare game gone horribly wrong, and a group a General Motors engineers found themselves at the losing end of a sinister “dare.”
How Hi-Rail Pickup Trucks Work
Chevrolet Silverado Hi-Rail conversion by Harsco. (Harsco Corporation photos.)
I have a number of automotive fantasies, many of which fall into the “never gonna happen” category. Among these daydreams are commuting to work in a Mercedes-Benz Unimog, and driving with Grace Kelly to get a malt at Chicago’s Superdawg Drive-In in a Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing.
How Tire Sizes Work
The string of numbers found on the side of tires may seem confusing, but it’s easy enough to decode once you know what the numbers stand for. (Photo courtesy of Continental Tires.)
The easiest way to replace the tires on your vehicle is to work with a professional retailer who will help you identify the tires that best match the specifications of the car, as well as your wants and needs for ride quality, handling, and the types of roads and conditions in which you normally drive.
2002 Lincoln Blackwood
In recent years, Ford’s F-150 product planners and marketing staff have found themselves with an enviable “problem:” They have apparently not yet found the ceiling for what buyers will pay for a fully decked-out full-size pickup. With each new model year, pickup manufacturers keep finding buyers for ever-more-high-end trim levels loaded with new features and gilded with luxury-level appointments.
1976 Ford Thunderbird
There is no longer space in the American new-car marketplace for vehicles with hoods and trunklids that consume more linear space than their passenger compartments do. While I know that the passing of the giant coupe was inevitable, I also lament that automotive designers no longer have a free hand with such large and expressive canvases.
2001 Isuzu VehiCROSS
There are vehicles that, for whatever reason, sell poorly when new, but develop a healthy following as used. We number among those rides the Toyota FJ Cruiser, the Pontiac Aztek (thank you, Walter White), and the subject of this post, the Isuzu VehiCROSS.
Review Flashback! 2005 Saab 9-2X
What is Ram eTorque?
The Ram eTorque system boosts torque output while also improving fuel economy.
With automakers scrambling to improve their corporate average fuel-economy (CAFE) numbers in advance of stringent federal targets—the loftiest of which were originally scheduled to kick in for 2025—it may seem counterintuitive that the redesigned-for-2019 Chevrolet Silverado and Ram 1500 are actually growing in size, but they are.
2019 Hyundai Kona Electric
At the 2018 New York Auto Show, Hyundai introduced its second all-electric vehicle, the 2019 Kona Electric. Based on the recently introduced Kona small crossover, the Kona Electric promises more than 250 miles of range on a single charge.
The Kona Electric joins the Ioniq Electric 4-door hatchback in Hyundai’s EV stable. The Ioniq Electric has a 110-mile range. The Ioniq is also offered in Hybrid and Plug-in Hybrid variations.
Volkswagen Atlas Tanoak Concept
At the 2018 New York Auto Show, Volkswagen introduced the Atlas Tanoak Concept, a unibody-pickup concept vehicle that, were it to be offered as a production model, would slot nicely into the hot North American midsize truck segment.
The Atlas Tanoak Concept (Tanoak is a variety of oak tree common in coastal California) is designed around VW’s MQB modular architecture, which accommodates a range of vehicles, including the Golf compact car and Atlas midsize crossover.
Classic Cars
